Analysis: Obama hit the marks he needed to

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President Obama had a high bar after recent dramatic speeches

Convention speech acknowledges things aren't rosy in the country

He points to better times ahead and suggests a path to get there

When President Obama took the stage Thursday night, he wasn't just competing with the ghosts of conventions present, but with Mitt Romney's performance last week, Bill Clinton's Wednesday, and the first lady's on Tuesday. He had to take on the ghosts of conventions past: comparisons with his stadium acceptance speech four years ago, and the 2004 speech that launched him into the national spotlight.

Those would be tough performances to match in any year -- near-impossible under current circumstances. So he didn't even try: A good deal of the speech came across a bit like a State of the Union address with fewer Republicans and better lighting. But there were a few marks he had to hit -- and did.

• He had to acknowledge that things aren't rosy: "The first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope -- not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long..."

If you're keeping score, that's at least four references to struggle -- difficulty, uncertainty, great odds, a long road -- in a single sentence.

"Eight years later, that hope has been tested -- by the cost of war; by one of the worst economic crises in history; and by political gridlock that's left us wondering whether it's still possible to tackle the challenges of our time.

Best of the DNC – U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts waves to the crowd Wednesday. A consumer advocate, she complained that people today "feel like the system is rigged against them."

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Best of the DNC – U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland speaks on day two of the DNC.

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Best of the DNC – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel claps while listening to Wednesday's speeches. He spoke Tuesday night.

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Best of the DNC – Cuban-American actress and talk show host Cristina Saralegui endorses President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards walks off stage after her speech Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Delegates cheer during Wednesday's program.

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Best of the DNC – Audience members wave signs Wednesday in support of the American auto industry.

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Best of the DNC – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – U.S. Rep. Karen Bass of California speaks before delegates on Wednesday night.

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Best of the DNC – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – A guard stands by as former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt speaks on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – A choir performs on stage during the DNC on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Two men in vests hold a pile of American flags on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – People pose during the official convention photography during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – A tri-colored hat sporting the Democratic party's mascot sits on a chair on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Sikh supporters hold up a sign on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – A woman reacts as Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, speaks on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, speaks to delegates on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas leads the Pledge of Allegiance as the West Charlotte High School ROTC presents the colors on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Delegate Gloria Goodwin wears earrings depicting President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Ruby Gilliam of Ohio salutes the flag on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas waves after leading the Pledge of Allegiance on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – Priscilla Marquez and Evie Walls from Arizona pose in the Google photo booth on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – A police officer stands near golf carts outside the Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday.

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Best of the DNC – First lady Michelle Obama wraps up day one of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 4.

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Best of the DNC – A sea of signs welcomes the first lady onto the stage Tuesday at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

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Best of the DNC – Delegates listen to Michelle Obama's speech Tuesday. The first lady offered a personal perspective on why her husband should be re-elected.

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Best of the DNC – Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro and his brother, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, wave to the audience Tuesday.

• But he had to paint a plausible picture of rosier times down the road -- offer a concrete path forward, and give skeptical voters the feeling that the next four years could be different than the first:

"But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. ..."

"(A)s I stand here tonight, I have never been more hopeful about America...."

"I'm hopeful because of you."

And there were roughly a dozen more references to hope scattered through the speech.

• Hitting the right notes: He had to hit the bipartisan notes that the incredibly vanishing swing voters still tell pollsters they're looking for.

"But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy -- well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will."

Of course, there may be a pretty short shelf life on the political impact of anything he had to say Thursday. When President Obama spoke, he was probably the only person in the arena who knew what the job numbers coming out first thing the next morning would be: A healthy showing that could turbo-charge any convention bounce - or a disappointing showing that could short-circuit it.

"America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won't promise that now," he said, at the tail end of a speech that put a spotlight on struggle. "Yes, our path is harder -- but it leads to a better place."